The Other Side of the Soul
by Heather Logan
Summary: As Kenshin prepares for his fight with Jin'e, Kaoru has something else in mind. A scene from Episode 6; Kenshin's POV. (complete)


** The Other Side of the Soul **

A Rurouni Kenshin fanfiction by Heather Logan 

(Disclaimer: This was written for fun, not profit. The characters belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki. Quotes follow the Viz translation of the manga.)

* * *

_ Must've rained upstream. The river's high. _

It was a still day, as if the air itself were waiting. The water rushed by, deep and rapid, breaking over the tiny wooden pier and dragging at the boards that lined the river's edge. Its sound filled the space between the grassy embankments and echoed off the underside of the bridge ten yards upstream. 

_ Fall in the river, and it's all over. _

Kenshin had been here for a little more than two hours now, sitting on a log and quietly watching the water, his sword propped against his left shoulder. Waiting. 

He'd come here to be easy to find. He had no desire to postpone the confrontation, and he didn't want Jin'e searching for him. He didn't want Jin'e going anywhere near the Kamiya dojo. 

'Hitokiri traditionally operate near rivers,' he'd said to Sano that morning, walking back through the fog from Tani-dono's house. 'Easy escape, if necessary. Jin'e can be found quicker near the rivers.' 

The river would provide no easy escape this time, save to its muddy bottom. Good, Kenshin thought. Whatever happened, it would be over today. Jin'e wouldn't be able to interrupt their fight and flee, as he had the night before. And Kenshin had no intention of running away. 

He'd had no qualms about using himself as bait. He'd half-intended it from the start, as Sano had guessed. And when he'd seen Jin'e use his 'shin no ippou', his 'one side of the soul' technique, to paralyze Tani-dono's guards with fear, he'd known this was his only choice. It was best this way, out here by the river, where no one else would get involved. Where no one else would get hurt. 

Now all he had to do was wait. 

Kenshin felt more than heard the footstep on the grassy slope behind him, together with a hint of angry ki. At last. 

_ He's here... _

He inhaled silently and loosened his sword in its sheath, lifting it a half-inch with his thumb. 

"KENNNN SHINNNN!" 

"Oro!" Kenshin startled violently, slipping off the log and slicing his thumb on the blade of his sword. 

It was Kaoru, out of breath and furious, standing behind him with her fists clenched by her sides. "Here you are," she growled. She stalked over and plopped down onto the log beside him. 

_ Scarier than Jin'e... _ Kenshin slid back up onto the log, careful not to make any sudden moves. His heart was still thudding from the shock. 

When Kaoru spoke again, her voice was quiet. "Sanosuke told me you don't plan to return to the dojo for a while." 

Kenshin looked up at her, surprised. He'd thought that he must have done something wrong to make her so angry, but now she seemed more unhappy than annoyed. The light had dimmed; a cloud in front of the sun. 

"Then I won't go back either," she continued. "I'll stay with you." She was watching the water, not meeting his eyes. 

The smile was missing from her face. It hurt to see her unhappy like that. "Kaoru-dono..." he began. What could be wrong? If she wasn't angry at him, then... "Did you fight with Sano, or something?" he asked brightly. "Or with Yahiko?" 

"No!" she snapped. Her look said 'idiot' more clearly than words. 

Oops. Nothing so trivial, then. Kenshin took a deep breath. "You've heard about Jin'e." It wasn't really a question. 

"I've heard, but I'm not leaving." Her tone forbade argument. 

Kenshin turned back to the water, suddenly uneasy. He mustn't let this happen. Kaoru must not get involved, not this time. It was just too dangerous. 

"This one can never defeat Jin'e while protecting someone else." 

It was more true than he would have liked. What he'd said to Sano that morning hadn't just been modesty. 'For ten years this one has avoided battle to the death,' he'd said. 'Jin'e, however, has pushed himself to kill and kill. As hitokiri, the difference is huge.' He'd felt that difference when he'd fought Jin'e the night before. 

He knew well that even with its reversed blade, his sword could do a lot of damage. For ten years he had always taken care to judge his opponent, had always taken care to hold back from using his full strength. It divided his attention, but as a rurouni it was what he had to do. But with Jin'e... 

When he'd seen Jin'e stab Sano through the arm, something inside him had cracked, just for an instant. He'd gone at Jin'e with everything he had. It had frightened him then, but he knew now that with Jin'e he couldn't hold back. Not if he wanted to defeat him. 

Kaoru had gotten to her feet, interrupting Kenshin's thoughts. She turned to face him, her back to the water and her expression set. Her cheeks looked a little flushed. 

"Kaoru-dono?" 

She reached up and grasped the end of the ribbon that bound back her hair, and deliberately pulled out the bow. The whisper of the silk was barely audible above the sound of the rushing water behind her. 

"My favorite blue ribbon..." She held it in both hands for a moment, then thrust it towards him. "Take it." 

_ What? _ "'Take it?' But what could..." 

"Just take it!" she shrieked. 

"Fine! Yes ma'am!" Again, there was no arguing with that tone. But why? Why the ribbon? He must be missing something, something important. 

"But this is just a loan," she continued sternly. "You have to give it back." 

_ WHAT? _ Kenshin boggled, the soft blue silk clutched in one hand. What was she talking about? What could he possibly be missing this time? _ I will never understand... _

"Don't you forget and wander off, after you defeat Jin'e," she continued, her voice softening. "I'd never forgive you for that." 

_ She wants me to... _

The realization hit him like lightning. She wanted him to come back. She wanted to be sure he'd come back. 

_ Kaoru-dono... _

It hadn't even crossed his mind, what he would do afterwards. He'd been focused completely on his upcoming encounter with Jin'e, and hadn't given a thought to what came next. It was a habit he'd fallen into through years of wandering. 

'This one is a rurouni,' he'd said once to Kaoru. 'My next destination is unknown, even to myself.' Right now, he realized, that wasn't true. Right now, he knew his next destination. His next destination was the Kamiya dojo. His next destination was Kaoru. 

He smiled, even laughed a little, holding the precious ribbon close. Its ends were fluttering, matching the feeling in his chest. "Fine," he said. "This one will bring it right back. So you go home and wait for its return." 

Kaoru smiled, at last, just a little. But it lit up her face like the sun, lit up the entire landscape. 

"...I'll do that," she said. 

Kenshin caught his breath and let it out in a sigh, gazing at her face. Her hair was streaming free in the breeze, her blue eyes shining. 

Of course he would come back. For Kaoru. 


End file.
